Tiling.



PATENTED DEC.' 12, 1905. P. G. MILLHOFP.

TILING.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1'1,1905.

.d m s m aE/A.

UNITED sTATEs l PATENT oEEioE. FRANK C. MILLHOFF, OF AKRON, OI-IIO.

TILING.

No. so 7,083.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application iled April 17, 1905. Serial No. 256.021.

and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tiling, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tiling for floors, walls, and the like, and has for its object the provision of a form of tiling, which I have termed woven tiling, having distinct advantages of its own, the more prominent of which I have endeavored to set forth in connection with the accompanying description.

In laying tiling of' ordinary character it is necessaryT to take the individual tiles and place them in position one after the other, the labor involved in thus laying them being considerable and, moreover, is materially augmented by reason of the fact that individual tiles or rows of tiles often become displaced. A suggested improvement upon the ordinary practice is disclosed in the patent to Munro, No. 706,474, August 5, 1902, wherein the entire body of the tiling is united in large sections by means of parallel or intersecting strands of twine or metal cemented to the under sides assembling en masse the tiles arranged in patterns face downward upon sheets of stout pa-V per. These methods, however, are adapted for tiles permanently'mounted in cement and do not permit the removal of short sections, strips, or units of the assembled tile or the ready relaying of the tile, as I shall explain is accomplished by my improvements. When tiling known as interlocking7 tiling is employed, some of these disadvantages are overcome, yet with any form of tiling hitherto known the entire structure or sections thereof remain incapable of being temporarily or permanently removed, as when repairs for a Hoor or wall are required or in the event that it becomes desirable to place the tiling in another location and relay said tiling in different shapes with a minimum of labor. By means of a very effective and simple expedient I have successfully overcome these disadvan-l tages and have provided an improved form of tiling which is found to be very satisfactory under all conditions of use. Thus I have united the individual tiles in units or strips which are adapted to be laid or woven in place when the tile is laid, whereby several distinct advantages are attained.

I will describe my improvements in connection with the accompanying drawings, setting forth in detail the speciiic form of rubber tile of semi-interlocking character embodying the features of my invention herein disclosed.

Figure I of said drawings shows in plan view a corner-section of said tile partially laid which well illustrates the features of my present improvement. Fig. II is a view of the under side of a portion of Fig. I. Fig. III is a similar view, on a somewhat smaller scale, of a section formed from another shape of tile and embodying my invention. Fig. IV is a side elevation of a portion of tile-strip, and Fig. V is a plan view of the latter.

In each of the figures of the drawings I have indicated similar parts by the same character of reference in order to avoid any ambiguity.

In the preferred form the individual tlest are given a general hour-glass shape, (best seen in Figs. I and V,) their outlines being formed of four intersecting sectors of a given circle. These tiles are symmetrical and accurately fit together, as shown, to form a very desirable coveringfor floors or walls. About the edges and corners a toe-piece or cornerpiece p is used to make the structure accurately fit any desired surface, or, if desired, to assist in forming conventional patterns therewith.

Preferably the parts herein shown and described are formed of vulcanized rubber or composition, thereby obtaining desirable results not secured by a perfectly rigid tile, although it will be appreciated that described features of my invention are not restricted either to form or materials herein shown and set forth. Referring then to Fig. V of the drawings', it will be seen that the individual rubber tiles t of the shape shownv and described above are vulcanized upon and united by a connecting-strips, formed of canvas or rubber, making tiling-strips of any convenient length suitable for laying, say, in units of three, ve, ten, or even more of these individual tiles. Centrally disposed upon the under face of each tile is a recess r, permitting the intersecting uniting-web of the cross-strip of tile to pass thereunder and allow the tiles to lie evenly when woven, as shown in Fig. I. Thus a corner is illustrated in the first figure, embodying the combined corner and toe piece p, wherein seven partial strips of vertical tiling. are set in association with three partial strips of horizontal tiling, the fourth being omitted to indicate the manner of inserting the same. Thus the connecting-webbing of the fourth horizontal strip would be passed beneath each of the Yadjacent tiles in the vertical rows, while the horizontal tiles would lie over the webbing uniting the alternate vertical rows, as best shown in Fig. II of the drawings. The underlying webbing may, if desired, be secured in place by means of cement or otherwise and complete the structure as a whole; but with the tiling-strips woven in the manner described it will be found that relatively large sections may be lifted or removed intact, if a little care be used, and without cementing the strips together. Of course with the strips cemented together the tiling may not very readily be separated and relaid in other positions, which is an advantage otherwise present in my construction. 1n this way sections of my improved woven tiling may be handled much after the fashion of handling a Very heavy rug, particularly when the parts thereof are molded from rubber and canvas, as in my preferred construction. The tiling-strips preferably are formed in molds, accurately spacing and shaping the same, so that such tiling-strips will [it closely and evenly together. If desired, however, the tiling-strip may well be cut as a whole from suitable materials; but such mode of manufacture, I may say, forms no part of lthis invention as herein claimed. lt is apparent that by using colored or decorated tiles suitable patterns may be woven in place, if desired.

In Fig. III, I have indicated the manner in which a tile having straight sides may be made and woven after the manner described, in this instance the individual tiles being formed in squares of any suitable material united by iexible strips s. As stated, however, the shape of the tiles has no necessary connection with the general features of my improvements, since they may be given any form or forms suitably united in strips capable of being accurately fitted or woven together to comprise the desired covering for a floor or wall.

A consideration of the above will show that tiling-strips made in accordance with my invention possess, all and more than the advantages secured by more complicated forms of interlocking tiling, which, moreover, require to be iitted together in place piece by piece and with considerably more labor and care than when the accurately-shaped tiling-strips of my invention are united or woven together.

Having now described my improvements as embodied only in the preferred form and materials, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. The combination with individual tiles of suitable shape and material, of a flexible strip or band uniting the same in single strips in substantially iixed relation, whereby coacting strips of tile may be united therewith or woven into a covering for floor, walls, and the like, substantially as set forth.

2. Atiling-strip comprising individual tiles of rubber or composition, symmetrical in shape and united by a flexible strip of fabric in substantially iiXed relation; the same being separated or spaced upon said iiexible strip and thereby adapted to be woven together with similar strips, to form a covering for oors or walls, substantially as set forth.

3. A tiling strip comprising individual members t, mounted at deiinite intervals upon a strip or band of fabric s, the said tiles z5 having the Ageneral shape of an hour-glass, and being formed of intersecting sectors of a given circle, substantially as set forth.

4. The herein-described tiling, comprising a plurality of symmetrical members disposed adjacent to each other in horizontal and vertical rows; said members being described in outline by two convex and two concave intersecting arcs of a given circle, and strips or bands secured to and uniting respectively the individual members of the horizontal and vertical rows of tiling in substantially fixed relation.

5. The combination with a plurality of tiles, of a mounting strip or band connecting the same in units of suitable length; said tiles being secured to said strip at intervals adapted to accommodate intersecting rows or strips of tiles, substantially as set forth.

6. A covering of tiling for floors or walls comprising a plurality of intersecting units or strips of tiles of similar or complementary shape; the units or strips consisting of a plurality of individual tile members mounted or spaced at definite intervals upon fiexible strips; the said units or strips of tile being united or interwoven in intersecting rows when laid in position, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Akron, this 11th day of April, 1905, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK C. MILLHOFF. Witnesses:

E. B. TRAGLER, A. A. KoPLIN.

IOO 

